1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile communication terminal, and particularly, to a method for setting up an alarm and subsequent follow-up alarms of a mobile communication terminal.
2. Description of the Background Art
In general, a mobile communication service provider provides a user with functions related to communications, such as allowing wireless Internet connections, performing text and multimedia message transmissions, accessing wireless on-line games, or the like. However, a mobile communication terminal manufacturer also provides the user with functions that are performed by the mobile communication terminal itself, without being related to the communication functions provided by the service provider. For example, the manufacturer can equip the terminal to perform such functions as storing a phone-book, a memo keeper, a schedule organizer, a calculator, and an alarm function, such as a wake-up alarm/call (morning call).
The alarm function may include a snooze function, which provides follow-up alarms after a period of time, if the user does not cancel the alarm, but only activates a snooze function of the terminal. The snooze function prevents the user from continuously sleeping or falling back to sleep, after stopping the alarm that rings (or provides another type of output to wake the user) at the user's set designated wake-up time. By the snooze function, when the user initially stops the alarm, the alarm rings again after a predetermined time (e.g., five minutes).
The mobile communication terminal outputs the alarm (e.g., by providing an alarm sound) at the wake-up time set by the user. During the alarm, if the user temporarily stops the alarm, by opening and closing a folding flap of the terminal or pressing a certain key without properly canceling (e.g. releasing) the wake-up alarm/call, a follow-up alarm is outputted after predetermined periods of time (e.g., every 5 minutes), in accordance with the snooze function.
FIG. 1 illustrates a flow chart showing a method for controlling a wake-up call of a mobile communication terminal, in accordance with the background art. As shown, when a wake-up time, that the user previously set in a mobile communication terminal, has been reached, a wake-up call alarm starts to sound as a bell sound (melody) (S100 and S110). When the wake-up call is output (rings), the user normally cancels the wake-up alarm/call or temporarily stops the alarm. If the user opens and closes the folding flap of the terminal or presses a certain key, the wake-up call is not completely canceled but only the alarm sound is stopped (S120 and S130).
When the alarm is stopped by the user more than once, the mobile communication terminal determines whether the number of times the alarm is stopped exceeds a pre-set maximum number of times the alarm may be stopped (S140). If the determination shows that the number exceeds the maximum number of times, the wake-up call alarm is stopped and the wake-up call is actually canceled. However, if the number of times that the alarm is stopped does not exceed the maximum number of times, the wake-up call alarm sounds again after a snooze time, stored in the terminal as a default time value by the manufacturer of the terminal (S150, and S110).
The background art method, described as above, has drawbacks. The snooze time interval is set and stored by the manufacturer of the terminal. There is no provision to allow the user/owner of the terminal to set a custom snooze time interval or progressive snooze time intervals. Therefore, the convenience and flexibility of the terminal is reduced. Also, the manufacturer sets the buzzer or alarm sound associated with the wake-up alarm and the snooze alarm. There is no provision to allow the user/owner of the terminal to set a custom sound for the wake-up alarm and/or snooze (e.g. follow-up) alarm, which may be different from each other, e.g. progressively louder.